


fault line

by beachytablecloth



Series: atla ficlets and drabbles [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Panic Attacks, Zuko's Scar (Avatar), gratuitous use of the f word, the 41st division - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beachytablecloth/pseuds/beachytablecloth
Summary: “So. Prince Zuko. Are the rumors true?”Zuko freezes, his fork halfway to his mouth.“Depends what you heard.”
Relationships: Chit Sang & Zuko, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: atla ficlets and drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995310
Comments: 25
Kudos: 619
Collections: avatar tingz





	fault line

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Restored Honor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24797677) by [turtle_abyss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtle_abyss/pseuds/turtle_abyss). 



> i have never had an original idea in my life--this is completely inspired by ao3 user @turtle_abyss :) 
> 
> (this is a bit different than my typical style. it was fun to write. hope you enjoy!)

“So. Prince Zuko. Are the rumors true?”

Zuko freezes, his fork halfway to his mouth.

“Depends what you heard.” He answers, voice rough and clipped. He does not turn to look at Chit Sang. Zuko knows what he is asking. He does not want to have this conversation.

From the corner of his eye, he can see the rest of the group watching them, curious.

Chit Sang is quiet for a while. Zuko hopes he has gotten the hint and dropped the subject. He takes another bite of congee.

Chit Sang scrapes at the bottom of his bowl. Stares into the fire.

“My niece was in the 41st.”

_Fuck._

Zuko’s ears are ringing; somewhere, in the background, there is a muffled crash as a bowl falls to the ground and breaks.

Zuko is standing. His hands are empty. His chest is heaving.

The thing about the 41st division is that they’re all dead. Every. Last. One.

Zuko knows because he’d gotten the casualty reports.

Zuko knows because his father is cruel and spiteful and made sure they all died as if Zuko’s own punishment hadn’t been enough.

They are all staring. And for once, Zuko can’t bring himself to care about their opinion of him; he is too caught up in the guilt that has completely taken over his body. The shame. The fucking indignation because he was _right_ and his father was _wrong_ —this whole time. His whole life—his father had been _wrong_. And those kids died because Ozai didn’t have a heart, and because there were too many power hungry generals and governors and ministers in the Fire Nation who had learned not to care, learned that they didn’t have to. And Zuko had been the _weak_ one, all because he’d committed the sin of having some fucking compassion.

Zuko would wear his father’s shame on his face for the rest of his life.

And the families of the 41st division would bear the pain of losing their children for the rest of theirs.

No, he can’t do this. He can’t.

He mumbles a desperate “I’m sorry,” locking eyes with Chit Sang for only a moment, praying that the man can see his genuine remorse, before booking it the fuck out of there because he knows where this is going and it is not going to happen in front of the group.

* * *

They sit in a stunned silence after he stumbles away. Toph hadn’t understood their conversation, but she _did_ the feel the tension practically radiating off of Zuko from the moment Chit Sang opened his dumb mouth.

_What the fuck just happened?_

“What the fuck just happened?” Sokka asks, before she can get the words out.

“Sokka!” Katara chides, but Toph can tell her heart isn’t really in it.

Chit Sang sighs.

“Have none of you ever wondered how Prince Zuko got his scar?”

Nobody answers. It feels like everyone is holding their breath.

“It is not my story to tell,” Chit Sang continues. “I didn’t mean to upset the kid. I just… had to know.”

 _Well, you did upset him, asshole_. Toph is on her feet following Zuko before she even realizes what she’s doing.

She finds Zuko perched in one of the higher alcoves of the temple, because of course she does.

She had known right away that he wasn’t okay. His breathing had become erratic and ragged, and she’s overheard enough of Aang’s lessons to know that firebenders _really_ care about their breath control.

Then he had jumped up and dropped his bowl. (Which. Annoying. She had made those bowls).

And then he had practically sprinted out of there.

Yeah. Sparky’s not okay.

She sits herself next to him with a grunt and begins picking at her nails. Zuko’s breathing has slowed a bit, but he’s shaking so violently she thinks she wouldn’t even need her earthbending to tell.

“I’m not going to bother asking,” she says after a while, “because I know you’re not okay, and I also know that you are a terrible liar.”

He doesn’t respond, but he also doesn’t tell her to leave him alone, so she takes that as a sign that he wants her there.

Sparky doesn’t really seem like the type to be able to ask for help. But it’s obvious, she’s learned over the past few weeks, that he does need help. And he wants their friendship, even though he clearly doesn’t think he deserves it.

But Toph isn’t Katara—she isn’t going to smother him and fret and ask if he needs to cry. She isn’t Aang, and she won’t tell him everything is going to be okay. She won’t make an awkward joke, like Sokka would.

Toph doesn’t know what happened to Zuko, but she does know there are some things that just cannot be comforted.

There are things that just fucking suck. Toph has known that for a long time.

So she can’t make him feel better. But she can sit here with him and wait for him to feel a little bit safer. She’s good at waiting.

“Sparky, did I ever tell you about the time I became the champion of an illegal, underground earthbending fighting ring?”

**Author's Note:**

> me? writing nothing but zuko-centric angst? it's more likely than you think
> 
> @beachytablecloth on tumblr 
> 
> comment 2 save a life


End file.
